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Crocodilia facts for kids

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Crocodilians
Temporal range: Upper Cretaceous – Recent
Crocodylus acutus mexico 01.jpg
American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Sauropsida
Superorder:
Crocodylomorpha
(unranked):
Archosauria
Order:
Crocodilia

Owen, 1842
Families
NileCrocodile
Nile crocodiles

Crocodilians are a group of amazing reptiles that belong to the Order Crocodilia. This group includes crocodiles, alligators, caimans, and gharials. There are three main types, or families, of crocodilians alive today.

Did you know that crocodilians are very close relatives of birds? Both birds and crocodilians are the only living survivors from an ancient group of reptiles called Archosaurs.

The first crocodilians appeared a very long time ago, during the Upper Cretaceous period. They developed from an even older group of Archosaurs called Crocodylomorphs. These early Crocodylomorphs, from the Upper Triassic period, were slender creatures that lived on land. They were also the sister group to the dinosaurs!

Crocodylomorphs were part of an even larger group called Crurotarsi. These ancient reptiles first appeared early in the Triassic period.

Here's how crocodilians fit into the reptile family tree:

* Crocodilia (Modern crocodilians)

Types of Crocodilians

There are three main families of crocodilians that live on Earth today. Each family has its own unique features and species.

Crocodiles

The family Crocodylidae includes all the true crocodiles.

  • Crocodiles are known for their pointed, V-shaped snouts.
  • They often have a tooth on their lower jaw that sticks out when their mouth is closed.
  • Crocodiles usually live in both fresh and saltwater habitats.

Alligators and Caimans

The family Alligatoridae includes alligators and caimans.

  • Alligators have broad, U-shaped snouts.
  • When an alligator closes its mouth, you can't usually see the teeth from its lower jaw.
  • They mostly live in freshwater environments.
  • Caimans are smaller relatives of alligators, found in Central and South America.

Gharials

The family Gavialidae includes gharials and false gharials.

  • Gharials are famous for their very long, thin snouts.
  • Their snouts are perfect for catching fish, which is their main food.
  • They live almost entirely in freshwater rivers.
  • The False Gharial looks similar but has a slightly wider snout.
Crocodylidae Distribution
Distribution of crocodiles

Images for kids

  • Nile crocodile skeleton

    Mounted skeleton and taxidermy of Nile crocodile

  • Caiman crocodilus Tropicario 2

    Crocodilians, like this spectacled caiman, can hide in water with only their nostrils, eyes and ears at the surface.

  • CrocoLoco-swimming-01

    Nile crocodile swimming. Sequence runs from right to left.

  • Alligator02 Asit

    Crocodilians, like this American alligator, can "high walk" with the lower limb portions held almost vertically, unlike other reptiles.

  • Crocodylus niloticus (skin)

    Skin of a juvenile Nile crocodile

  • CrocHeart

    Diagram of crocodilian heart and circulation

  • Indian Gharial at the San Diego Zoo (2006-01-03)

    Captive Indian gharial basking and gaping

  • Saltwater crocodile on a beach in Darwin, NT

    Saltwater crocodile resting on beach

  • Caiman crocodilus Costa Rica 2

    Spectacled caiman immersed in vegetation covered water

  • Crocodylus acutus 05

    American crocodiles basking

  • Gharial lurking

    Gharial camouflaged with floating weed

  • Crocodile attack during Mara River crossing - frame 1 - Flickr - Lip Kee

    Nile crocodile ambushing migrating wildebeest crossing the Mara River

  • Gavialis gangeticus -Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, Visakhapatnam, India-8

    A gharial eating a fish

  • Nile crocodile eggs

    Nile crocodile eggs

  • Alligator mississippiensis 113744549

    Unlike most reptiles, crocodilians care for their young even after they have hatched.

  • Crocnest

    Mother American alligator with nest and young

  • Young saltwater crocodiles at Crocosaurus Cove, Darwin, Australia, 02

    Young saltwater crocodiles in captivity

  • Protosuchus BW

    Restoration of early crocodylomorph Protosuchus

  • Deinosuchus hatcheri 052913

    Skeletal mount of the giant crocodylian Deinosuchus from the Late Cretaceous of North America

  • Crocodile skull shape comparison Walmsley et al 2013

    Range of skull shape in crocodilians, from narrow to broad-snouted

  • Crocodile Farm

    Aerial view of a crocodile farm in Cambodia

  • Alligator warning

    Sign in Florida warning of alligators

  • Handbag of West African Dwarf Crocodile

    Handbag made from skin of West African dwarf crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis) at the Natural History Museum, London.

  • Baby Gharial

    Young gharial in Kukrail Reserve Forest

  • Kom Ombo, Sobek 0350

    Relief of Egyptian god Sobek

  • Crocodile - British Library Royal 12 F xiii f24r (detail)

    Crocodile in the mediaeval Rochester Bestiary, late 13th century

  • Illustration at p. 73 in Just So Stories (c1912)

    The Crocodile stretching the nose of the Elephant's Child in one of Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories. Illustration by Kipling, 1902

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Crocodilios para niños

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